Sophisticated Puyallup heist nets burglars $1M in gold

PUYALLUP, Wash. — In what could have been a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie, police say a group of sophisticated burglars cut holes in several roofs to pull off a million dollar gold heist this weekend in Puyallup.

Police were called to Gold Definitions Monday morning after employees at the jewelry store realized they’d been cleaned out by thieves.

Officers arrived soon after, and it didn’t take them long to realize they were dealing with something a lot more sophisticated than a common smash-and-grab operation.

Sometime on Sunday, police say the burglars climbed onto the roof of the complex that houses the jewelry store and other businesses. The crooks then cut two large holes in the roof and lowered themselves down into two of the jewelry store’s neighboring businesses.

Once inside, they removed sections of the walls that led them into Gold Definitions, according to police.

After they got inside the jewelry store, police say the burglars cut away a portion of the wall that gave them access to a large safe containing as much as $1 million in gold.

“If you could call criminals professional, this is basically as professional as you can get,” said Det. Mike Lusk with the Puyallup Police Department.

Based on surveillance footage, police believe the entire operation took roughly four hours and the crooks got away with all the gold.

Police say the business was fully alarmed with motion sensors, but the alarm was somehow not tripped during the burglary.

“With our security cameras and our motion detectors, I didn’t think there was a single thing we could have done to have improved our security here,” said Lisa Catt with Gold Definitions.

Anyone with information about the heist is asked to call the Puyallup Police Department.